getting over not finishing thru-hike [Archive]

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NEFFA

07-30-2006, 18:24

Frosty

07-30-2006, 18:31

I have had to leave the trail (nobo thru-hike) this year due to getting extremely run down and I am having a hard time accepting that and getting over it and moving on to section hiking. I'm looking for advice from folks who have gone through this. Please help!
NEFFAI'm apparently too fragile for a thru-hike and too stubborn to give up trying. Tried twice in the last two years and didn't get far either time. Plan on trying again next year.

If I had any brains I'd section the rest of the trail. I have done most of it from mid-VA north. But I want to thru, and plan on going again.

But I'm retired as well as stubborn. I realize that not everyone can keep trying year after year.

I think you did well to do what you did, and congratulate you. Try again if you wish, pick up where you left of and finish, or complete it in sections. Or declare yourself finished (worked for that British writer guy Bill Bryson). What ever you eventually choose is okay.

Time To Fly 97

07-31-2006, 12:08

Congratulations for having the guts to follow a dream and adding some exciting chapters in the story of YOU. I would spend some time thinking/researching why you got run down. Is it physical, is it emotional, did you do what you set out to do (even though they didn't summit Katahdin)? You should find out because it sounds like you are feeling like you failed, and this might not be the case at all.

Just a guess - probably physical and something you can overcome on your next hike. As some examples:

Your body was making the change from athlete to super-athlete. This change completely sapped your energy and caused a chemical imbalance that left you feeling emotionally drained. This happens to all hikers. It goes away like getting to the next level of a video game.

You were lacking nutritional content such as vitamins, salt, water, electrolytes (gatorade mix in the summer is wise).

The trail got easier (middle sections) and your body didn't get the adreneline fix it had become addicted to (fact). This left you feeling uncomfortable and unfulfilled. The Northern sections bring the mountains back - and the daily adreneline you crave. This is contributing to your feeling down now - guaranteed. Go for a workout and you will feel better. All hikers get this after their hike ends - unless you took it easy and slack packed.

It could be many things. You won't start healing from these feelings unless you confront them, think about them and come to conclusions from them.

Good job! Start planning your next hike!

TTF

eric_plano

07-31-2006, 12:20

I really want to respond to this in depth, but I think it would come out as babbling.

I only hiked to Clingman's in '05. I can't say I have recovered from not continuing since a thru-hike had been a dream for several years.
I have questioned the ability of my body, my mind, my willpower...and I haven't come up with any answers. I just know that I have been back in this cubicle for 14 months since I left the AT and it has become even more of an obsession for me than it was before. I think the only resolution for me is to get back out there.

Hopefully someone will have a better answer for you!

Time To Fly 97

07-31-2006, 12:27

P.S.

http://www.dontgetlost.ca/ghocanadagho/ejss1.pdf

TTF

StarLyte

07-31-2006, 12:39

Nightwalker

07-31-2006, 16:29

mweinstone

07-31-2006, 16:38

good advice.hey frosty,.. dont forget sitting down and figuring out on paper that you cant go that year is an attempt. get it? so in point of fact we do all have the ability to tyr each year. and ail. and fail and fail. then succeed!

Frosty

07-31-2006, 16:43

hey frosty,.. dont forget sitting down and figuring out on paper that you cant go that year is an attempt.Maybe for you. I'll stick to the attempts where I actually hike.

I'm doing better. Made it into Georgia in 2005, into North Carolina in 2006. Shooting for Tennessee next year :D

StarLyte

07-31-2006, 19:09

Happens to lots of us. I can hike forever, but I get terribly homesick for my wife. I'll keep trying, however, like maybe SOBO in about two weeks. (Did I say that out loud?)

Buying the bus ticket today. Leave for Medway on the 15th of August. I'm 100% sure that it's gonna work this time.

:sun

Frank what are you talking about? Are you saying you bought a ticket for Medway ME? When were you going to say something? Okay, so you've said it here and now.

Congratulations.

And are you speaking of hiking the entire Trail, or you just going SOBO as far as your two little feet (http://www.gregbrown.org/gbfurth1.html#twolittl) can take you.

Are you keeping a journal or are you posting here?

Let's see how many questions I can ask in 2 weeks.

bfitz

07-31-2006, 19:19

Dude, just rest up and have as much fun as you can. It's about enjoyment in the end. In a week or three mabye you can get back out...who knows, mabye for a section or something...mabye you're just run down because you been pushing yourself too hard? Get rid of deadlines/big miles and hike at a comfortable easy to manage pace/schedule. Eat well. Go to town every few days and take zero and nearo days at least once a week...mabye...?

wacocelt

07-31-2006, 19:23

If you got out there and started but didn't finish then you didn't fail, you just didn't finish...

I have started the AT 4 times and the PCT once with the intention of hiking the 'entire thing', but kidney stones and other maladies have always ended my hikes early. It's hard as hell to come to terms with ending a hike, just try and see the silver lining and go out and find other activities that give you the same joy as hiking. I've begun delving into primitive wilderness skills and permaculture, as well as advocacy for the homeless, all of which offer benefits and distractions from LD hiking. Hope this blather helped a bit. Be well!

Puck-Fu

Tinker

07-31-2006, 19:50

Life is full of obstacles. Some we go over, some we go under, some we go around, and some just can't be overcome............now.

If you're not advanced in age, you could attempt a thru again, you could finish the Trail in section hikes, or you could finish the Trail in sections, then attempt a thru...........your options are endless.

Using the knowledge that you've gained in the sections of Trail that you have covered, you could help others by passing that knowledge on to others. I just finished a weekend hike on the Long Trail in Vermont with a young man I met last year who had the desire to do a Long Trail thru. I completed the LT in 1999 after doing it in weekend and week long sections. I was able to relive my experiences and enjoy them in my heart and mind again as I helped him to choose campsites and warned him about difficult sections, shared my joys of a sunset or animal sighting, good places to eat etc. If you do the same, I believe you'll get over not having completed your planned thru, and help someone else to achieve their dream at the same time. There's nothing to live up to, no standard of success, except what you accept in your mind.
You have not failed - you've just experienced a setback.

:welcome to life.;)

Blue Jay

07-31-2006, 20:57

You're just taking a lot of Zero Days, so what.

One Leg

08-01-2006, 00:11

Neffa:

I've thought an awful lot about your post since I first read it.. I wanted to reply straightaway, but decided to sit & think on it awhile first.

In '04, I was soooo close to finishing that I could almost spit on it. I'd come so far, and to have to come off at that point, I was more mad than anything else.. I even considered missing the funeral in leiu of finishing the trail. After all, my brother was dead, he wouldn't know if I was at his funeral or not.

I was mad at him for killing himself, for the pain he'd caused the family, and for ruining my hike. I'm being as honest here as I know how to be... We weren't close, I'd not physically seen him in over 5 years, and had only spoken to him by phone once in a year. I was closer to some of the folks I met on the trail than I was to him.

In the end, family loyalty won out. I packed up, hiked out, caught a bus, and went home feeling like a failure. I'd come within a cathair of reaching the goal, only to have it end like that.

11 months after walking off the trail, and 3 funerals later, I returned and finished the remaining miles.. It felt good to be finished, but the sadness I'd experienced over the last 11 months overshadowed all of that. But I did it... I went back & finished...

I met a lot of folks who started out with intentions of thru-hiking, only to have to come off the trail for whatever reason. At the time I met them, they were coming back to the spot they'd gotten off however long before, and resumed right where they left off.

I also met others who started at Springer all over again and thru-hiked all the way to Maine, which seemed to me to be a lot like leaving your house for a long-distance drive, and making a wrong turn somewhere along the way... Instead of backtracking to the point where you made the wrong turn, you go all the way back home and make the whole trip all over again... (That was my perspective.) One thing I did observe: The ones who left the trail for legitimate reasons (deaths in the family, family emergencies, etc.) tended to have more success in the second attempt as opposed to the ones who left the trail because of losing their money in trail towns.

At any rate, don't beat yourself up because you didn't make it to the ultimate goal.. Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for making it as far as you did. If you want to go back and do everything all over again, go for it. Or, if you just want to go to the area where you got off and resume from there, go for it. Either way, there's always hope for a better tomorrow.

Here's something that I share with my kids pertaining to mistakes: I'm assuming that you brush your teeth. (Most everyone does.) Have you ever spilled toothpaste onto the sink? Did you put the toothpaste back into the tube?? If no, then why not? The obvious answer is that once toothpaste is out of the tube, it's next to impossible to get it back in. You don't sit around and mourn the lost toothpaste.. You just clean it up & move on. Don't cash today's worries on tomorrow's problems.

Hope to meet you out on the trail one day.

-Scott

Ridge

08-01-2006, 00:16

It's better to have somone think you're a complete idiot than for you to open your mouth and remove all doubt..

Krewzer

08-01-2006, 09:05

A thru hike is a series of section hikes over a defined period of time. Personally, I don't see a problem here?

Recoup, regroup, recall and return.

plydem

08-01-2006, 09:25

It's better to have somone think you're a complete idiot than for you to open your mouth and remove all doubt..

What is that supposed to mean? Are you aying the guy is an idiot for telling us he didn't finish or that he's an idiot for not finishing? When a question like this comes up and you don't have anything good or constructive to say, don't say anything at all. At least that way people won't think you're an idiot.

Nightwalker

08-01-2006, 14:37

And are you speaking of hiking the entire Trail, or you just going SOBO as far as your two little feet (http://www.gregbrown.org/gbfurth1.html#twolittl) can take you.

Are you keeping a journal or are you posting here?

Let's see how many questions I can ask in 2 weeks.
If the weather doesn't kill me, I'm talking an entire SOBO. God willing, creeks rising, family illness/death/etc. not withstanding.

You should come walk just in front of me to goad me on. ;)

Programbo

08-10-2006, 18:54

Congratulations for having the guts to follow a dream and adding some exciting chapters in the story of YOU. I would spend some time thinking/researching why you got run down. Is it physical, is it emotional, did you do what you set out to do (even though they didn't summit Katahdin)? You should find out because it sounds like you are feeling like you failed, and this might not be the case at all........The trail got easier (middle sections) and your body didn't get the adreneline fix it had become addicted to (fact). This left you feeling uncomfortable and unfulfilled......It could be many things. You won't start healing from these feelings unless you confront them, think about them and come to conclusions from them......Good job! Start planning your next hike!

I`ll agree with this and add that the reason WHY you were hiking the trail in the first place also comes into play..I`ve known a lot of people who set out on thru-hikes and failed who really weren`t long distance backpackers to start with..They figured the entire 4 months or whatever would carry that same excitement and energy of their weekend trips...They weren`t ready for the fact that in a way it becomes a job and you have to get up and hike and accomplish x amount of miles if you intend to ever finish...I`d go over why you started and what you had expected and then figure out what wasn`t as you expected or what may have stopped you mentally or physically..If it was physical then you did the best you could and should be proud of even trying...To borrow some famous words of advice..."It`s all about the prayers..The vitamins and the hanging and banging brother!"..Just get ready for the next time..If it wasn`t just physical then you`ll have to figure out what emotional or mental things weren`t as you expected and next time prepare for that.....Best of luck to you and you`ll find in time you`ll accept it as a learning experience and accomplish bigger and better things yet to come ;)

_boulder_

08-11-2006, 13:14

Sly

08-11-2006, 13:37

Alligator

08-11-2006, 13:42

I never understood why some keep starting over after an attempted thru-hike instead of just picking up where they left off. After 4 or 5 attempts many would be finished with the trail with the experience of see it all. Once finished, perhaps a thru-hike would be in order.

But hey, HYOH (over and over again).Me either.

For Sly's scenario, why not just pick up where you left off, and if you're still on a roll, flip back and redo the previously hiked sections?

mweinstone

08-11-2006, 17:38

i suck. im full of crap. i hate me. i hiked 67 days and quit like a sissy.im a peice of shi,...and the letter that most resembles t,...t.

and my last thru attempt before that i quit like a woosy in a bake sale at neels.

before that i was all set to hike with all food and equiptment(my first attempt at 17,..and i didnt have the money to leave with.so i sat like a fool in my hatered of myself and ate food boxes all winter.
people that dont make it suck .hear me minnisota?!
i wish i was dead
i hate non finnishers of thru hikes
im not worth the plastic im typing on
i should be banned from the trail forever.
just kiddin. try try again,... i know.

StarLyte

08-11-2006, 17:45

Matthewski----don't be silly......just hike and have FUN.

Have FUN Matthewski.

Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? You're doing great on your hikes. Just hike when you can.

Programbo

08-11-2006, 19:32

On a semi-related topic..It`s not mentioned in their book but does anyone know how Tim Ryback felt after quitting his CDT hike with his brother Eric way back when?....I didn`t read the book they wrote about that trip untill like 25 years after it was written and always wondered how Tim made out in life after that as he seemed so disheartened by it all...But considering the CDT was his first ever real backpacking trip and he made it halfway I consider that an amazing feat

NEFFA

08-19-2006, 10:44

NEFFA,

Are you shure you're really done? I've been off for a month with my broken foot. I know how bad it is to get home and feel depressed and defeated. BUT, if I'm rid of the cast by the end of the month or early September I'm going back out. Can you take a rest and go back, or are you too worn out? I've got 700 miles left. You were way ahead of me and must have alot less. I'll have to do a couple of leapfrogs, but definitely see it as still doable. Unless you're 100% sure, don't give it up yet. Us Mainers are made of pretty stern stuff.

boulder

It turns out I am not done and I feel back on track although it is difficult terrain. I know in my heart that I need to go back and finish (I have 800 miles left) but I have not recovered enough to return this year. The difficult part is the recovery and I'm working on it. The good part is thinking about going back. Thanks to everyone who wrote, its been very helpful to me.

kyhipo

08-19-2006, 12:03

after 3 months i get tired of the same ole routine thats why I mix my hikes with exploring anymore.ky

Disney

08-24-2006, 00:53

I quit shortly after Damascus in 04, not because I had to, but because I was tired of it. A year later I was back and stayed out 4 months. I made it to Dalton, Mass. It's going to be quite some time before I can get back out again for a long term thing. It'll probably be when 20 years from now or so. I spend alot of time thinking about what I did wrong. I know hike your own hike and all, but wrong for me. I resolve to plan my gear better and carry much much less. I honestly believe one of the reasons I had something of a poor showing was my inexplicable determination to carry so much useles weight. Evidence: My good memories do not generally involve hiking in and of itself, rather the shelters, hostels, towns, and the company (greyson highlands not withstanding).

How do I deal with it? I was inexperienced and didn't know what I was getting myself into, carried far far to much weight, yellow blazed between the smokies and Hot Springs my first time out and then got angry when I wasn't really accepted by other hikers because of the yellow blazing.

I realize that it my musing are somewhat trivial compared to those who actually had events pull them, or accidents push them off. But questioning what I did wrong and planning my far future adjustments do not diminish the capacity to look back with fondness.

In short, it's a learning experience.

NEFFA

09-18-2006, 20:18

I have decided to return to the trail in June to finish. Making that decision has made me feel better. Its all okay now. NEFFA

saimyoji

09-18-2006, 20:25

Way to go. Remember to HYOH and enjoy it. Good luck. :banana:banana:banana

stranger

09-19-2006, 07:09

Hey bro...don't worry too much about it. I know from experience that it's easier said than done as I too have failed at thru-hiking in the past, in 1995 I quit in Virginia.

It took me years to get back out on the trail seriously again, but eventually I got back out in 2001 with my mate EZ and knocked out 500 miles and had a great time. I am planning another long hike next year and maybe a thru depending on some resource issues I'm working through.

Thru-hiking isn't for everyone, and I know heaps of people who have done thru's and say they would never do one again because section hiking has so many advantages over thru-hiking. The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and enjoy the trail when you're hiking it, regardless of how long.

I had a hard time getting over my "failure" 11 years ago, especially because it's the only thing I've ever failed at in my life. But as time goes on you realise that you didn't fail, you had a wonderful experience and no one can take that away from you. It's not about the miles you didn't hike, but the miles that you did...most people won't ever get to Georgia let alone have the guts to actually start walking...well done!

You will figure out what's right for you, time will tell, and you will probably find yourself back out there knocking out miles again. But the most important thing to remember is that you gave it a go...so many would make excuses to why they "can't"...when we all know it's really "won't".

shuffle

09-19-2006, 08:08

I am right there with you. I had to get off the trail in the Whites because I messed up my knees on the rocks. I felt awful and like a failure. It took me so long to realize I had gone a long way and that was an accomplishment in itself for me. owever, my original dream was to hike the entire AT so I am going to do it again from beginning to end in 2008. Since 2004 I have gotten new knees and am getting them in shape for the hike. They are great and I just know I can do it this time. I do know what you mean about not completing a dream, a complete dream. It isn't that you didn't do a whole lot more than others will ever think about doing in their lives but it is the fact that you have set that as a goal to hike the entire trail and you are not sompletely satisfied with part of it. I know that is how I feel. So with that I will be back hiking away in 2008, having learned some things the previous time that hopefully will help me succeed this time. Good luck and hike safe.

lindy

09-19-2006, 12:57

I am wondering if it would be a better mindset to start out thru hiking with the idea that if you need to stop that you will have the full intention of getting back on trail as soon as you can (even if it is years) and just HOPE that you can make it all the way through? Or is that setting yourself up for an "easy out" instead? It seems to me a better mindset (I am not knocking anyone :) just thinking out loud :) ) would be "I'll hike until I can't hike no more and if I get to Katahdin then FANTASTIC and if I don't then I'll pick the trail back up again next year (or ???). Could/would that ease the depression and disappointment if the worst thing happens? I do know that a great percentage of people who start out do not finish so the odds are "against" you to begin with. So it would seem to me that it would be better to ease off and just enjoy the hike for what it is along the way.

Then again what do I know hahahahahaha

Just some thoughts...

Brrrb Oregon

09-22-2006, 01:51

What kind of outdoor experiences would we have in this country without this man? Consider his take on it:

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt, Speech at the Hamilton Club, Chicago (10 April 1899)